"A good leader should not guide his/her followers, but should inspire them". Do you agree?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Yes, a leader needs to inspire but they also need to lead and guide. It’s a great responsibility to lead people and it takes a lot to make people believe in you enough to follow. That’s why inspiration should be hand in hand with guidance.

Well said! Not everyone who is inspirational is a good leader. There must a certain degree of charisma and interpersonal skill involved to provide good leadership.

Being inspirational is not the only skill that one needs to become a leader. There are many inspirational and influential figures that lack behind when they become leaders. So yes, you need charisma, a certain llevel of command, and an ability to identify and understand each of your team members.

If all those are available, then if you have to choose from guiding and inspiring, what will you choose in order to become a good leader?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think that a good leader should be a guide but should also inspire others to make their own decisions and follow their own path. I think perhaps guide is the wrong word as guidance should not be forced but suggested.

Guidance is never forced upon somebody. It cannot be forced but can be suggested, as you have mentioned.

Actually it cannot be seperated from inspiration. You just can't say something to your follower and expect him to do it unless you yourself act accordingly. He will look up to you for an example. And that is what we are referring to as inspiration.

[Mys_Trea]

I think the two are not mutually exclusive. One can guide, but still inspire. A leader would not be very good if they did not guide their followers. That being said, anyone can instill inspiration in a group setting. Not just a leader. So I say, inspire wherever you can. Guide your followers if your responsibility is leading.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I do not think a leader needs to have both qualities. You can try to guide someone and that person is not always necessarily inspired by your efforts. Same goes for inspiration inspiration to not be interested in someone else’s guidance. So I generally feel that to be a good leader , it’s okay to have the motivativation to possess one of theses qualities.

Guidance will feel like ordering if the followers are not inspired bu their leader. What will happen to the compliance then? The followers will try to escape from work and the leader will have to put extra effort to keep the work going. So I think, guidance alone won't make you a good leader but a boss, who some followers prefer but usually many don't.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I agree that a leader should only provide inspiration and aid to their followers, but should not guide them and lead them directly to their desired destination. A leader is meant to be a role model, someone that followers look up to for an example. Guidance would undermine the importance of a leader, as it would be similar to cheating the fate of the follower.

I think this approach with 'ispiration only' will be suitable for a religious leader. He can show the pathway to his followers but cannot guide them through because it is up to them. He can inspire his followers by he himself going through that pathway.

But will it be the same when it comes to regular team work? How will the team identify their target and work towards that unless the leader guide them?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think this is a valuable insight especially for leaders of adults, but as a teacher, I think there's more to leadership than setting a good example. While walking the walk and talking the talk are important aspects of inspiring students to be and do their best, children and young adults require a great deal of guidance and redirection. Without that kind of support, young people may lack direction, and without that direction and plenty of structure, kids are unlikely to make the best decisions for themselves.

That is a very valid point. Children learn by looking at the adults. Most common adults for them are their parents and teachers. So parents and teachers should always set an example for the children. But at the same time the children should be observed whether they are doing things correctly, and in the occasions where they do the wrong tthings, then the correction and guidance should come in place in an appropriate way and an amount.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I don't totally agree with this statement. I think a good leader should do both. At some point in our lives, we all need mentor-ship and guidance. At other times, we need inspiration from our leaders to do more and be more. Good leaders should guide as well as inspire.

I agree. In various stages of our lives we will require either guidance, or inspiration, or even sometimes the both. That is why it is important for a leader to understand his team members. These followers can be in various needs. Some might need guidance but some might need inspiration. And there will be some who expect both. So the leader sshould correctly identify their needs and accurately apply what is needed for the place where it is needed.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

A good leader should guide and Inspire his followers. Leadership involves guidance. Besides, people are inspired by different things, and guidance comes in different ways.

That is true. Guidance is not always directly telling what to do and what not to do. Even inspiration can be a guidance. A leader can start the task and then his team will follow. Whenever they want guidance, they will look at how leader is doing it and then they will adjust their work accordingly. So there the leader had nothing specifically to do to guide his team, but to inspire them and set an example. Good thinking.

[Mohamadu Abdulai]

I agree because even looking at our expert leader, Jesus, whose Word is life, we can see this lesson lived out. Jesus is not merely an itinerant preacher who directs our steps. He is a soul-stirrer who invites us to walk with Him. If our master, Jesus, leads us by walking with us and stirring us to discover, then these earthly leaders must learn to come alongside and help others discover their own best answers."

[Buk Nerd]

I think inspiration and guidance go hand in hand. As important as it is for a leader to be a source of inspiration to his/her followers, without the leader's guidance, the followers can still potentially lose their way. It's like embarking on a journey to a place you've never been before without a map.

[DANAWEB]

Actually, this is two fold. The leader should inspire his followers by way of acting wisely and taking decisions that will inspire the followers. At the same time, the proactive leader should know the strength and weaknesses of each of his subordinates. Further to that, he should know the capability of his subordinates as not everyone do posses the same skill level, enthusiasm and will power to perform a particular task. So, if one does not know how to perform a particular task, the leader must guide him the right way. He can inspire the people who is really motivated, but need to guide the average person.

[Kavita Shah]

A true leader inspires, encourages and at times becomes hope in times of despair. It's my opinion a true leader isn't afraid to lead, he/she is selected by the group to lead them on the correct path. Jesus walked the path of truth with his followers alongside, they were not forced to believe what he said but to see for themselves. A leader works hard and leads the group. And also teaches them the way to do the things. Their task is to reach the goal and see that everyone comes along.

[aabdulahmeed001]

No, I don't angry with this topic. A leader leads to guide the followers. In his/her guidance, lies the survival of his/her followers. Hence, any follower who disobeys his/her leader is looking for a new destruction. Not every follower will be needed to be inspired by the leader, but every follower must obey the guidance of their leader.

[Joy C]

Well, I think that both terms go hand in hand. Good leaders lead by example - that's a form of guidance I believe. At the same time, exemplary leadership more often than not inspire followers to do better.
That good leaders should inspire rather than guide here might refer to the act of trying to force a change rather than inspiring a change

[Nichole Kurns]

I do not agree. I believe a good leader would be able to do both. They will have a good balance of being inspirational and guidance. Sometimes you need guidance after you are inspired.